Academic Affairs Program Prioritization

Phase II Task Force Recommendations

Academic Affairs Program Prioritization
Phase II Task Force Recommendations
April 15, 2008 - Final

The Academic Affairs Program Prioritization (A2P2) Phase II Task Force offers the following recommendations to guide the investment and reallocation of Academic Affairs resources.  The Task Force considered individual program reviews, recommendations from deans and academic area administrators, program data from Institutional Research, input from the Faculty Senate, comments received on the A2P2 website, discussions at the A2P2 Forum held April 3, 2008, and continued interaction with the Deans since the A2P2 Forum in formulating its recommendations.  Many of the recommendations agree with those made by the deans and area administrators, others differ.


I.    General Institutional Recommendations

  1. Conduct a university-wide course audit with the goal of reducing the number of courses offered across the university at all levels by 20%.
  2. Conduct a university-wide degree audit with the goal of reducing the number of degree offerings.
  3. In consultation with the faculty, place a moratorium on new courses and degree offerings until the course audit has been completed.
  4. Identify and implement strategies for better integrating the delivery of degree programs across campuses.
  5. Implement a faculty hiring strategy where the primary criterion is to build critical mass in priority areas of research/scholarship and teaching, rather than filling existing specific teaching assignments.
  6. Develop and implement strategies for re-directing faculty into and re-training them for priority areas.


II.    Cross-College/Cross-Area Recommendations

Applied Social Sciences

  1. Create a School of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts that includes the Departments of Anthropology, Political Science and Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Sociology.
  2. Consider moving the Department of Human Development into the new School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Environment and Sustainability

  1. Conduct an internal review to determine how to build a focused area of environment and sustainability using resources currently invested in the School of Earth and Environmental Science, the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, and the Department of Community and Rural Sociology.  Options include

    • Consolidating SEES, NRS, and CRS into a new unit.
    • Using resources from these units to strengthen existing environment and sustainability programs.

General Education

  1. Review the philosophy and restructure the overall content of general education.
  2. Explore, with the assistance of an external consultant, the formation of a College of Arts and Sciences along with other potential strategies for consolidating and simplifying the curriculum and administration of general education.
  3. If a College of Arts and Sciences is established, reassess the future role of the Office of Undergraduate Education.

Health Sciences

  1. Develop Health Sciences as a university-wide unit headquartered at WSU Spokane.
  2. Consider consolidating Speech and Hearing Science in Spokane as part of Health Sciences, refocusing the program to attract research funding.
  3. Consider consolidating Kinesiology, Movement Studies, Athletic Training, and Sports Medicine as a unit within Health Sciences, with each program located at an appropriate campus.
  4. Develop an appropriate administrative structure in Health Sciences to accommodate Speech and Hearing Sciences, Kinesiology, Movement Studies, Athletic Training, and Sports Medicine.
  5. Infuse the social, cultural, and behavioral aspects of human health into the Health Sciences through strengthened linkages with the College of Liberal Arts and WSU Extension.

Interdisciplinary Design Institute

  1. Assign IDI the role of
    • Assisting undergraduate/professional programs in the design disciplines in providing an urban component to their programs. 
    • Stimulating research, graduate education, and outreach in the design disciplines (Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, and possibly, Apparel Merchandising, Design, and Textiles, Fine Arts, and Digital Technology and Culture).
  2. Reconfigure IDI faculty appointments to be split-appointments between the IDI and appropriate departments.

Statistics

  1. Conduct an external review to facilitate the development of a program vision and a recommended structure that best serves the teaching, research, and service needs of WSU.

Water

  1. Because water will continue to be a major issue for the economic development and well-being of Washington, make “water” a major focus of the Environment and Sustainability efforts.
  2. Consolidate and focus existing and new water programs to address critical issues facing Washington.
  3. Utilize the current review of the Water Research Center in the Office of Research as a preliminary step in developing a university-wide plan for water research, teaching, and outreach.


III.    College Recommendations 

Business

  1. Reduce MIS; reinvest resources in new faculty to build focused research consistent with the College’s Strategic Plan.
  2. Phase out Entrepreneurship: reinvest resources in new faculty to build focused research consistent with the College’s Strategic Plan.
  3. Better utilize regional campuses in the teaching program to sustain university-wide accreditation and achieve more efficient resource utilization.
  4. View the College as a statewide enterprise; eliminate the MBA in Pullman and strengthen it at the regional campuses.
  5. Reduce course offerings through course elimination, outsourcing, and fewer offerings per year.  (Specific suggestion: outsource 200 level statistics course.)
  6. Consider linking Executive MBA in Spokane with Health Policy Administration.
  7. Accept remainder of dean’s recommendations (see College Overview).

CAHNRS

  1. Retain forestry only as a service component of NRS.
  2. Consolidate statistics across the university (see Statistics in Section II).
  3. Phase out CRS from CAHNRS.  Combine essential elements in new unit with NRS and SEES or move to Sociology.
  4. Determine the future role of Landscape Architecture in the Interdisciplinary Design Institute.
  5. Reduce the number of course offerings and low enrollment degrees.
  6. Consider moving the Department of Human Development into the new School of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts.
  7. Accept remainder of dean’s recommendations (see CAHNRS Overview).

Education

  1. Accept dean’s phase out recommendations (Undergraduate minor in Leadership Studies, Masters in Diverse Learners, Masters in Elementary Education, and Masters in Secondary Education).
  2. Explore combining PhD in Cultural Studies with PhD in American Studies from the College of Liberal Arts.
  3. Consider phasing out “tangential programs” from Education (i.e., programs that are not central to Education’s mission of preparing school teachers and administrators, and college faculty) including kinesiology, athletic training, movement studies, sports management, and sports medicine.  Determine whether to move them to Health Sciences or Business, as appropriate.
  4. Integrate School/Community Collaboration Center with CDPE and Extension.
  5. Consider merging Counseling Psychology with Clinical Psychology from the College of Liberal Arts.
  6. Accept remainder of dean’s recommendations (See College of Education Overview).

Engineering and Architecture

  1. Work to clarify the College’s strategic vision and priorities.
  2. Phase out Computer Engineering degree in Pullman, continue to teach ABET required courses for EE degree.
  3. Vancouver EE degree will have micro electronics focus; consider offering Computer Engineering degree in Vancouver.
  4. Develop strategies for re-directing faculty into and re-training them for priority areas.
  5. Invest in a specific, chosen area of BSE rather than just adding resources to the unit.
  6. Investigate unnecessary duplication our course offerings with regional campuses.   
  7. Determine the future role of Architecture in the Interdisciplinary Design Institute.
  8. Grow and invest in Bio-engineering graduate education and research.  Continue undergraduate degree only if chosen as a top priority that is consistent with the College’s Strategic Vision.
  9. Accept remainder of dean’s recommendations (see CEA Overview).

Liberal Arts

  1. Combine American Studies, CES, and Woman Studies into a single unit.
  2. Focus research and graduate programs by distributing the College’s numerous units into one of the following new schools:
    • Social and Behavioral Science
    • Humanities
    • Arts and Culture
    • Interdisciplinary and small programs
  3. Implement a faculty hiring strategy where the primary criterion is to build a critical mass in research/scholarship and teaching themes rather than filling existing specific teaching assignments.
  4. Explore combining PhD in American Studies with PhD in Cultural Studies from the College of Education.
  5. Consider merging Clinical Psychology and Counseling Psychology program in College of Education.
  6. Grow Foreign Language and Culture, including Asian Program, as part of the College’s Strategic Plan.
  7. Explore strengthening the link between Foreign Language and Culture and International Programs.
  8. Move theater department into the proposed School of Arts and Culture.
  9. Consider moving Art Museum into the proposed School of Arts and Culture.
  10. Develop specific linkages between the proposed School of Arts and Culture and VPLAC (Visual Performing and Literary Arts Committee), and Beasley Coliseum.
  11. Consider consolidating Speech and Hearing Science in Spokane as part of Health Sciences.
  12. Consider forming a department of Digital Technology and Culture headquartered in Vancouver.
  13. Reduce the number of programs identified for growth and investment.
  14. Accept remainder of dean’s recommendations (see CLA Overview).

Nursing

  1. Reduce the number of Master of Nursing course offerings (fewer courses offered less often) as the College transitions to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).
  2. Develop and implement an inter-campus, course-charge model.
  3. Develop DNP in Vancouver and PhD in Spokane.
  4. Accept remainder of dean’s recommendations (see College of Nursing Overview).

Pharmacy

  1. Consolidate Pharm D in Spokane (as suitable facilities become available).
  2. Consolidate Dietetics, Exercise Metabolism, and Nutrition in Spokane.
  3. Refocus the Cancer Center to chronic illness and rename it.
  4. Eliminate the toxicology program.
  5. Phase out Health Policy Administration in Pharmacy, or maintain in Pharmacy and, if appropriate, link with Spokane Executive MBA until future role in Health Sciences is determined.
  6. Accept remainder of dean’s recommendations (see Pharmacy Overview).

Sciences

  1. Consolidate statistics across the university (see Statistics in Section II).
  2. Reduce Geology to a level that supports GER and basic science teaching; focus research in area of strategic importance to the university such as hydrogeology (water).
  3. Phase out Office of Research funding for Center for Integrated Biotechnology and Center for Reproductive Biology.
  4. Increase the number of lower division courses taught by senior faculty.
  5. Reduce the number of course offerings.
  6. Consider hiring more graduate students and fewer post-doctoral students in the Schools of Molecular Sciences and Biological Sciences.
  7. Examine the balance between research/scholarship and quality of teaching in the College.
  8. Reduce the number of programs identified for growth and investment.
  9. Accept remainder of dean’s recommendations (see College of Sciences Overview).

Veterinary Medicine

  1. Accept dean’s recommendations (see CVM Overview). 


IV.    Area Recommendations

CDPE

  1. Conduct an extensive review and develop a new funding and operational model for DDP.
  2. Maintain Professional Education as a self-sustaining program.
  3. Investigate potential duplicative services offered by CDPE, Student Affairs, and Academic Affairs including advising, registration, and course development.
  4. Accept dean’s recommendations (see CDPE Overview).

Extension

  1. Maintain the three 4-H programs at current levels.  (Dean recommended growth in STEM programs)
  2. Consolidate existing water programs and coordinate with water-related research.
  3. Insure that Extension Energy Program operates within the university structure and is integrated with WSU’s energy-related research and outreach programs.
  4. Consider relocating the Center for Civic Engagement from Student Affairs, Equity, and Diversity to Extension.
  5. Determine the future of the Learning Centers. Consider moving them to the Regional Campuses or the Student Advising and Learning Center.
  6. Advance University-Wide Extension by rewarding faculty for the “scholarship of engagement” (use Carnegie Foundation guidelines to quicken progress).
  7. Accept remainder of dean’s recommendations (see Extension Overview).

Graduate School/Office of Research

  1. Maintain the Individual Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program.
  2. Realize efficiencies of merging Graduate School and Office of Research.
  3. Phase out unproductive centers, institutes and laboratories.
  4. Review funding plan for the Center for Integrated Technology, Center for Reproductive Biology, and other centers, institutes, and laboratories receiving state funds.
  5. Accept remainder of vice provost’s/vice president’s recommendations (see Graduate School and Office of Research Overviews).

International Programs

  1. Re-examine and clarify the University’s vision for International Programs.
  2. Maintain Research and International Development.
  3. Advance Education Abroad through increased use of commercial programs.
  4. Explore increased linkage between Education Abroad and Foreign Language and Cultures.
  5. Maintain Global Studies’ funding level and central coordination role, but do not add faculty positions to the Program.
  6. Limit international partnership agreements to only those that advance institutional goals.
  7. Accept remainder of vice provost’s recommendations (see International Programs Overview).

Libraries

  1. Close the branch libraries.
  2. Reduce the availability of reference librarian services.
  3. Extend library hours only if undergraduate education and the student experience are advanced.
  4. Investigate alternative ways of addressing escalating journal subscription rates and expenses including on-demand purchase, “user-fee” models, and open access.  
  5. Develop relationships and structures to facilitate collaboration between the Libraries, IT, and student computing services.
  6. Accept remainder of dean’s recommendations (see Libraries Overview).

Office of Undergraduate Education

  1. Consider focusing OUE to oversee the education and educational experience of freshman and pre-majors.
  2. Reduce the number of general education course offerings.
  3. Undertake a complete “overhaul” of general education.
  4. Phase out CTLT and move only those functions deemed essential to appropriate units.
  5. Make the Teaching Academy an “honorary group”; redirect resources to a higher priority use.
  6. Phase out Common Reading.
  7. Accept remainder of vice provost’s recommendations (see OUE Overview).
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